Tuesday, December 4

5 former players who became football managers in England's lower leagues

Sol Campbell has taken the reins at Macclesfield.

New Macclesfield boss Sol Campbell is the latest in a clutch of former top players to take on managerial challenges in England's lower leagues.

Here, Press Association Sport examines a few key stints.

Bobby Moore, Oxford City

Bobby Moore, centre, lifting the World Cup with England in 1966 (British Pathe PLC)

England's World Cup-winning captain took a bizarre turn into management by taking the reins at Isthmian League outfit Oxford City. The superstar former West Ham defender took control in December 1980, only for the club to suffer relegation at the end of that campaign. Moore drafted in one Harry Redknapp to bolster his coaching staff, but the short-lived experiment ended after just two seasons.

Paul Merson, Walsall

Paul Merson. pictured, in training during his stint at Walsall player-manager (Nick Potts/PA)

Former Arsenal and England wing Merson could not stop Walsall slipping out of the old League Division One when stepping up as player manager in 2004. He was handed the job on a permanent basis despite relegation, but ultimately struggled to turn his off-field career into a success. A 14th-place finish in League One the next season built frustrations, before Merson was finally sacked in February 2006, with the club languishing in further relegation trouble.

Paul Gascoigne, Kettering

Paul Gascoigne, pictured, during his ill-fated time as Kettering manager (Steve Parsons/PA)

Former England midfielder Gascoigne's first foray into management lasted just 39 days. In late 2005 Gascoigne took the helm at Conference North club Kettering. The chairman Imraan Ladak had idolised Gascoigne as a player and doubtless romanticised the former Tottenham star's potential role. The club sacked Gascoigne after just 39 days in post however, insisting he had been drunk during work commitments.

Paul Ince, Macclesfield

Paul Ince, pictured, during his time as Macclesfield manager (Nick Potts/PA)

Macclesfield's record for appointing Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) coaches and managers comfortably predates their appointment of Campbell. Former England star Paul Ince took over as player-manager at Macclesfield in October 2006 with the club bottom of League Two. Ince steered the club to safety that season, before moving on to roles with MK Dons and Blackburn.

Kevin Nolan, Notts County

Nolan dragged Notts County to League Two safety in the 2016-17 season, before inspiring a run to the play-offs the following year. But just when the former Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham star looked to push on, his tenure hit the skids. Nolan was sacked just five games into this year's campaign, back in August, with the club bottom of the table.

amp_article_342748 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2018-11-28 15:51:32:
html db last update - 2018-12-03 18:10:50 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Loading ...

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City1412204363738
2Liverpool1411302752236
3Chelsea1494130111931
4Arsenal1493232181430
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs14100425151030
6Everton146442016422
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd146442223-122
8Leicester CityLeicester146352017321
9Bournemouth146262321220
10Watford146261719-220
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton145361620-418
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves144461317-416
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham144371722-515
14Crystal Palace143381017-712
15Newcastle UnitedNewcastle143381119-812
16Cardiff CityCardiff143291327-1411
17Huddersfield TownHuddersfield14248924-1510
18Southampton141671226-149
19Burnley142391329-169
20Fulham1422101435-218
Scroll for more - Tap for full version

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City1412204363738
2Liverpool1411302752236
3Chelsea1494130111931
4Arsenal1493232181430
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs14100425151030
6Everton146442016422
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd146442223-122
8Leicester CityLeicester146352017321
9Bournemouth146262321220
10Watford146261719-220
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton145361620-418
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves144461317-416
13West Ham UnitedWest Ham144371722-515
14Crystal Palace143381017-712
15Newcastle UnitedNewcastle143381119-812
16Cardiff CityCardiff143291327-1411
17Huddersfield TownHuddersfield14248924-1510
18Southampton141671226-149
19Burnley142391329-169
20Fulham1422101435-218
Scroll for more - Tap for full version
X

We value your privacy

A part of our GDPR compliance we need to ask for your consent. We and our partners use technology such as cookies on Sports Mole to personalise content and ads, provide social media features, and analyse our traffic. Click below to consent to the use of this technology on Sports Mole.